Accepting the Outcast
by adreanajayne13
Summary: Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom aren't really noticed, aren't really minded, except by each other. While Neville has had feelings for her for a long while, Luna is only just realizing what Neville means to her. (Takes place in fifth year. Luna's been booted up a year.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

_*Luna*_ ""I regretfully confirm that our beautiful Bogletorp species will soon be extinct, due to the attacks of the hippogriffs in the area," says Daymon Thortin, head of the department of Abnormal Animals."

Luna fumed. How dare they not even TRY! They just sit back and pamper their PETS to earn galleons while- Oh just where has Neville gone!?

"Looney" Lovegood glared at the Hogwarts express's patterned ceiling as she stormed to their lonely, signature compartment in the caboose of the train. As she neared it, she saw through the glass sliding door chubby Neville, blushing profusely as he gathered his scattered books and quills off of the floor. As angry as she quite was, no amount of extinction at the moment could restrain the smile that tugged at her lips. She opened the door with a huff and sat on the nearest bench near the window. An open folder, similar to a muggle's scrapbook, lay open on the floor. The book was stuffed with pictures of a kindly, stout woman with short curly hair smiling next to a proud, stocky, dark haired male. These were Neville's parents. You could tell the obvious resemblance just by a single picture. Smiling sadly, she gently straightened the pages and closed the book, looking into his sad eyes as he retrieved it.

_*Luna recalled her first year at Hogwarts school, the same year as Neville. Walking through the halls to lunch, a stout boy suddenly rammed into her, knocking them both to the floor. Stuttering madly, he apologized and rushed to collect his books.*_

_*"I'm Luna. Did you know you are being surrounded by several Narlges?" The boy flushed, and looked up at her, but not quite meeting her eyes. *_

_*"Erm, wh-what's a nergal?"*_

_*"No, silly, Nargle. They fly around your head and make your brain all fuzzy. Here, would you like help with that? I hope they're having chicken for lunch, I do like that..."*_

_*Neville*_ As the train pulled to a stop, Neville, Luna, and Ginny all started to pull out their luggage from the upper shelves. He watched as Luna's suitcase slid out and in seemingly slow motion started to fall on her. Abandoning his own things, he pummeled against her into the wall, knocking her wand out of her hand and bumping her head accidentally. He noticed she smelled like cinnamon. He liked cinnamon.

"Why thank you, Neville," Luna giggled slightly. "That was nice." Neville blushed so hard he could imagine his face melting in a pool of embarrassment. She cautiously went around him to pick up her luggage and smiled at him.

Sitting at the table with his fellow Gryffindors, along with the new ones, he listened to the discussion of last year's Triwizard tournament. A scrawny blonde second year was rambling about You-Know-Who and his return.

"I completely believe he's back," he boasted. "My father reckons he's going to try to become headmaster here at Hogwarts." There was a roar of protest, to which he waved his arm. "Only joking, that's ridiculous. But we all know he's going to try something. He's one weird man."

His friend, a third year with dark hair and light skin goggled jokingly at him. "Did you just refer to You-Know-Who as *one weird man*?" As everyone laughed, Neville reminisced.

_*It was the twelfth Saturday of their first year at Hogwarts. Two unnoticed first years walked along the grounds, a blonde girl who walked on her toes as if she would lift off of the ground at any moment, and a chubby, buck toothed boy with dark hair, slouching after her.*_

_*"Neville, may I ask you something?" She faced him seriously, only a small hint of her usual dreamy tone.*_

_*"Oh, uh, sure. Yes, I mean. Go on." Merlin's beard, would he ever be able to speak to her normally?*_

_*"What has troubled you? I can tell, when I look at you. You're always depressed, and scared, and worried. You sleep with a light. Has something been worrying you?" Her grey eyes brimmed with concern. Real concern. Maybe he could tell her. She's been kind so far, she hasn't yelled at him, or teased him. Maybe...*_

_*No. No, no, no. Not now.*_

_*Neville looked at the ground and shook his head before walking back to the castle.*_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

*_Luna_* Neville's face turned awfully pale as Professor Severus Snape, potions master, glowered over his bubbling simple cough curing potion, which should have been a thick, gooey substance by that point.

"Are you too daft to understand the simple context of *_cutting the ingredients before they're put in to the potion!?_*" Snape growled. "At the end of this class we will test it on yourself, in the hopes it won't send you the hospital wing so you can possibly manage to get *_some_* homework done tonight. Longbottom, you have ten inches on the importance on following directions, due tomorrow," He gave whimpering Neville one last sneer and returned to his perch in the front of the classroom.

Luna simply sat with her hands folded in her lap, calmly observing the whole ordeal in the front of the classroom, from her assigned seat near the middle and to the left. After a few moments, she pulled out her wand, wary of Snape's watch, and used a few quick spells to dissolve her ingredients into thin air, giving her reason to get up and about. She gazed at the ceiling as she skipped towards the table in the front. Passing Neville, she lifted her arm in the motion of merely skipping and "accidentally" knocked over the cauldron filled with Neville's far-gone potion. His eyes shot open and a cry came from him as the murky liquid spilled towards her and the cauldron clanked on the stone floor. She stopped abruptly in mock surprise and gave him a wink.

"Oh, sorry! I was just heading to get some things I forgot, oh dear, its gotten on my robes. I am truly sorry," Luna had to stifle her smile as his face relaxed.

"Its fine, really. It was a lost case anyways. Here, you've got some on your robes, lemme get that." He used his own robes to wipe the sticky brown remnants, giving her the tiniest smile, which she returned.

Next class was transfiguration. Students were required to turn a beetle into a butterfly; a fairly easy task. It turned out everyone's butterfly was different, depending on the witch or wizard. Luna's was a rather small one, with fine strands of navy blue across the silver wings. The fluttering jewel settled on the tip of her wand with it's gorgeous wings still extended, catching the sunlight on its wings.

"Perfect," Professor McGonagall smiled as she walked by.

Care of Magical Creatures was next, which she had with Neville. She caught up with him as he trailed behind the rest of the Gryffindors to the clearing and they walked silently to their next class.

It was a nice day outside; the grass was a healthy, rubbery texture and the sun shone piercingly on the class of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Luna was listening intently on the lecture of threstrals, a lizard and horse-like animal which could only be seen by one who's witnessed death. Most of the class were bored, being unable to see the threstrals, but there were a few students, Luna and Neville included, who were watching the creatures as they interacted and roamed about. Luna wondered if the creatures were ashamed of themselves. Did they want to be seen? What would it feel like to only be seen by someone who's witnessed the end of someone's life? Were they okay with that? Perhaps they didn't care. Human's lives probably weren't that important to them, considering they outlived them by a long shot. Yes, she concluded threstrals were okay with being seen. After all, they didn't *_seem_* that shy, and-

"Your hair is bloody gorgeous," Neville burst.

Luna's face got hot. Had she heard him correctly?

"Pardon me?"

He jumped as if he didn't know she were there, his short curls jerking, his eyes opening widely.

"Well, I mean, the sun. Ya' know? It, well, your hair. Its shiny," Neville's voice dimmed with every stutter. "And, er, its pretty. I... like it."

Luna's heart suddenly fluttered like a bluebird in a fairytale.

*_Neville_* Its shiny. *_Shiny_*, he had said. How ridiculous could he *_be_*!?

Fuming silently, he flicked his wand down far too hard on the beetle he was required to transform, resulting in a rather vulgar combustion just before the bell sounded. So much for that class, he thought stubbornly as he packed his things.

Her hair *_was_* rather stunning. The sun had caught it, her wavy curls lighting up. The glow poured over her face, pale in contrast. Her eyes even lit up, a glassy sheen over the icy blue. Her hair though, her hair.

Divination next, also with Luna. They picked a spot in the back of the class, settling on a couple of huge plush bean bags.

"Gosh," Luna exclaimed dreamily. "They're like purple clouds, sent down just for the students!" She. Was. Adorable.

He nodded, trying to hide his furious blush at that thought.

Only a few minutes passed before the one and only Harry Potter was being hassled by professor Trewalney, leaving the rest of the students, especially Luna and Neville, unnoticed.

"Watch here," Neville chuckled. Aiming at one student's teacup, he slowly levitated it above their head. Luna giggled furiously as the teacup floated in circles above the oblivious girl. She lightly touched his shoulder, a simple interaction that ripped Neville's focus and sent the teacup crashing to the floor. A small touch that sent warmth through his whole arm, fuzzies through his brain, and his heart though his throat that didn't settle down for the rest of the class.

Last class of the evening, Defense Against the Dark Arts. The children filed in hesitantly, watched by a heavily perfumed, widely grinning woman who mostly resembled a toad. Luna scrunched her eyebrows and chewed her tongue thoughtfully as she settled next to Neville, opening her book to the assigned chapter on the board.

The air of the classroom felt stiff and frustrated. Weren't they going to use their wands? How could they learn spells just by *reading*? Luna immediately stood and floated to the front desk. Neville listened intently to her question about the matter, becoming angrier by the millisecond at the response.

"Are you *_daft_*?" Umbridge sounded weirdly sweet for such an absurd statement. "Why on earth would we cast these spells? There's no reason for it. Now sit back down so i can pretend you're not here." Luna, seemingly unfazed, strode back to her seat and proceeded to read. Neville admired her so deeply.

The rest of the class was a long one, reading the sections on basic spells without being allowed to handle their wands even once. This caused an uproar later in the Gryffindor common room, where even Neville agreed the new professor was a, well, a toad.


End file.
